Yeah it’s the same for me. When I watch Youtube on my computer I often feel like I wasted a lot of time. On my phone I can only pick high quality content from the curated list of creators that I’ve maintained over the years, and it is a much better experience.
I’ll add that NewPipe is a great app, has a fork to support sponsorblock and can mix your YouTube subscription with other sources (eg. PeerTube), which could allow for a smooth transition.
You have to be willing to loose your personalized suggestions page, but when it comes to me it helped a lot to get less addicted.
I would have loved attending the meeting where they decided which were the most ugly icons possible.
It’s impressive how little self-respect they must have to block their own branding behind a paywall. I don’t even get how it could be a good business strategy, I feel like it would very badly affect the perception of quality for a new adopter.